


Button Eyes

by MarvelingMarvelous



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Coraline AU, M/M, Other Tony
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-18
Updated: 2019-03-18
Packaged: 2019-11-24 01:00:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,918
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18159362
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MarvelingMarvelous/pseuds/MarvelingMarvelous
Summary: His Tony hated him. Ever since Peter made the mistake of confessing his feelings for the older man all he became was a burden in his eyes.Other Tony was different. He loved Peter like the boy had never known before. In his eyes Peter was the light of his life, so it really didn't matter to Peter that those eyes were buttons.[Or, Starker Coraline AU.]





	1. A Bad Decision

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally posted to my Tumblr account Marveling-marvelous, but I decided to move it here too.
> 
> Because of all the wonderful support over on Tumblr I decided I'm going to continue this story on. New chapter coming soon!

 

 

“Will it hurt?”

“Oh, only for a second really, and afterwards you won’t even notice a difference.” Other Tony reassured the nervous boy. Smiling brightly as he rounded the coffee table to take a seat next to Peter on the floor beside the crackling fireplace. 

The man tapped one of his own glossy, black button eyes in question. 

“They work just the same.”

“I- I don’t know…I don’t think I can.” Peter stammered, pulling his legs up to his chest anxiously. 

He didn’t want it, he just wanted to stay with his Other Tony. Where he didn’t have to worry about what anyone else thought of them, where they didn’t have to live under a microscope, they could just live in this saturated, perfect world forever. 

“You can. I know you can.” The man pressed. Reaching out to rub the boy’s knee tenderly. Peter curled into himself further upon hearing the man’s persuasive, velvety voice. 

He couldn’t go back to a world where Tony was only repulsed by the idea of being with him, a world where he was just a problem that Tony had to deal with. He’d rather die than face the constant scrutiny of the man he loves. 

Peter hadn’t noticed the tears that slipped from his eyes till Other Tony ran a hand up his cheek to catch the stray drops. Peter felt himself leaning into the warm touch. The man chuckled lowly at the clinginess. 

“You know,” Other Tony pulled Peter’s chin up to meet his plastic gaze. Moving to wipe away the tears on the other side of the boy’s face. “I think you’ll find crying is a lot harder in buttons.” 

Despite the whirlwind of contrasting emotions in Peter chest somehow humor managed to surface as the boy giggled in response. Other Tony joined him until their fit of laughter naturally died down. 

Other Tony sighed, falling backwards till he laid flat on the plush carpeted floor. Peter marveled as he watched the gentle dance of the flames flashing across the man’s face. 

“I don’t want you to go back. I don’t think I would survive it.” 

Peter felt his breath buckle as the man’s words mirrored his own thoughts, each one spoken with such certainty and desperation that it tore at the boy’s heart strings. 

Peter said nothing. Turning to watch the fire, loosing himself in the flames as he thought it all over. He hummed dreamily as he thought, swaying with the ambers in what felt like a trance like state. Suddenly his decision felt so obvious. 

“I’ll do it.” Peter spoke. Smiling like an idiot as he burned his retinas in the fire’s light. When he got no response, he whipped his head around to look over at Other Tony. 

“I- Tony?” 

He was gone. 

Peter reached forward to grasp at the empty space. It felt cold. He flinched back, looking around himself wildly until he felt almost needle like hands digging into his shoulder. He spun himself around. 

Other Tony was there knelt behind him, nothing out of the ordinary beside the lack of shine flashing across his button eyes and a small box in his hands. Peter sighed, placing a hand over his chest as he caught his breath. 

“Black is traditional.” 

Peter looked up, seeing the man had lifted the lid off the small box revealing a fresh pair of buttons. 

“Of course there’s other options, vermilion, chartreuse, periwinkle, cerulea-” 

“Uh, black is fine.” Peter interrupted, just wanting the man to stop the sudden weird rambling of color names. 

“Of course!” The man beamed. Suddenly pulling the young man down till Peter’s head was resting comfortably in his lap. 

Peter was fighting instinct now, as he watched the man expertly weaving the string through the needle loop, tying it off and snipping the extra with his sharp teeth quite efficiently. Peter was doing his best to push down his fight or flight response. 

“You said it won’t hurt, right?” 

“Not at all.” 

Peter took a breath. 

“Ok.” 

Believe it or not Peter really was surprised when he felt a sharp pain as the needle was first pushed through his skin. His fingers dug deep into the carpet fibers as he tried to hide the pain at first. 

Maybe Tony had just made a mistake? The theory quickly vanished when the pain did not let up. Peter was soon left sobbing in the man’s lap. 

“Tony, it hurts! Oh my god, Tony- please it hurts so bad.” 

“Give it a second.” Other Tony answered, going on to hum cheerfully to himself as he pulled the bloodied thread through the boy’s porcelain skin. 

A second turned into years really fast and suddenly Peter was just outwardly screaming and crying in the man’s lap. 

Yet when he panicked, aiming to push the man’s hands away he was stopped. The carpet seemed to swallow him, something dark and demented wrapping around his wrists and ankles with an unbreakable grip. 

It was when his blood started blurring his vision that finally Peter had run out of excused for Other Tony and realized the true horror of his situation. Peter was panicking, trying his best to thrash away from the pain but it only got worst. 

“Tony, please! S-stop!” 

The man sighed. Pausing his efforts as he looked to the boy’s good eye. Peter sighed in relief as he managed to halt the brutality. 

“I won’t lie. I quite like playing this Tony guy.” Peter felt his heart pounding in chest, unyielding. as the man’s voice grew increasingly more sinister. “Never have I worn a face so much like myself.” 

“The way you’ll bend over backwards for him at the drop of a hat is so… intoxicating. You’re absolutely the most entertaining one I’ve found yet. So, that’s why I’m going to be honest with you now.” 

“This is going to hurt. A lot. You’ll probably scream harder then you did the first night I had you.” Peter blushed at the comment though that may just be the blood again, either way Peter could feel the pain turning to numbness. 

“But you’ll probably black out before the second eye, and after that…” The man’s button eyes lost focus as Other Tony got lost in thought.

“Well, I suppose I’ve grown attached… so I’ll just have to keep you it seems.” The words came with a shrug. 

“N-no… please!” 

“How’s does the rest of eternity sound, love?” The man was absolutely beaming at the notion, but all of Peter’s senses were blinded when the needle sunk back into his skin. 

Through his own ear piercing scream the man joyfully carried on his work. 

“It’s a date.”

 

 


	2. A Worse Decision

 

 

Time moved differently in the Other world.

Peter had never noticed before, having only ever spent a few hours at a time there. In reflection he should have clued in. Time never flew by despite all the fun he had in the beginning, and now it only drug out ever longer.

For the first few years in buttons Peter was defiant. He fought Other Tony tooth and nail every step of their eternity together, and when he finally managed to push those button eyes far enough Other Tony would let him know. Locking the boy beyond a mirror into a room void of any magic or light, leaving him there to “reconsider his actions.”

Peter expected Other Tony to return for him not long after and yet he was left waiting. The room lacked any windows, comfort or even concept of time, so Peter feel himself slipping in his solidarity. He realized soon that Other Tony wasn’t after to play the waiting game. He must have spent years in that punishment room.

Not only reconsidering his actions but every part of his life before this world.

When Other Tony finally returned, he ran into the monster’s loving arms. He didn’t have any part of his former self left to be disgusted by his own weakness. He just wanted to be freed from this limbo. Whatever Other Tony wanted he would do it— whatever it took to keep him acting most like his real Tony so he could just hold on to that small semblance of his old life. He’d do anything.

“Who are you talking to?”

Other Tony was standing in the kitchen, washing dishes he didn’t have to— being an all-powerful supernatural being and what not. Yet even after years together Other Tony still liked to keep up the domestic charade that had lured Peter in. He seemed to enjoy his own performance so much that he never wanted it to end.

“The rats.” Other Tony answered. Peter managed to confirm the answer as he spotted multiple disease ridden, boney tailed rodents sitting on the window sill, looking up at him with similar beady, button eyes.

“I... see.” It was the little details like that which left Peter deeply disturbed. He didn’t want to remember how his perfect little world here really held such vile things.

“What are they saying?” Peter dared to ask. Even now the boy didn’t know hardly anything about this Other world or how Other Tony worked but he did know from his own experience that the rats were Other Tony’s link to the real world. They were his eyes and ears and reported everything back to him.

He knew Other Tony wouldn’t answer. Peter wasn’t permitted to know anything of the real world in all his time here, that wouldn’t change.

Evidently today was different.

“A new kid moved in.”

Peter did his best to seem unphased with the information. Still his heart swelled. Other Tony trusted him.

“Into the Pink Palace?”

“Mhm.”

“I see...”

Other Tony sighed, placing the final dish into the drying rank before turning to face the boy standing in the kitchen’s door frame.

“You may or may not have started to notice but I really need this one, love.” The monster in man’s skin reluctantly admitted. Stepping closer. “My power is fading.”

“Power?” Peter’s voice was small and desperate for answers he was too scared to know.

“I need mortal souls to maintain this world and everything in it. This form, this house, even your existence will be lost.” Other Tony had locked their plastic gazes together as he spoke. “This one might be our last shot.”

Peter tried to ignore the way Other Tony attempted to ease the blow of those words with a tender, ice cold kiss to his cheek. Peter tried desperately to focus on what any of it meant.

“You want to steal another kid’s soul...? Like you did mine?” He really did try to hide the obvious spite lingering on his tongue.

“Though your soul... remains with me I’d hate to have to use it. Especially when there’s another perfectly deceivable soul just a door away.”

It sounded like a threat, but Peter seemed to black that part out, too focused on keeping this world as close to his old one as possible. He wasn’t ready to let go of the last bit of his sanity. Whatever it takes.

“What do you need from me?”

A genuine smile— a wicked warning spread across Other Tony’s face upon hearing Peter’s words. For a moment Peter caught a glimpse of his real Tony and he really felt like he was making the right decision.

Other Tony pulled the boy forward, and spun him around the kitchen in a merry dance. Raining praise on his boy in the form of peppered kisses to his face.

“I knew you’d be perfect! I knew you’d make me proud!” The man exclaimed while spinning the boy around. He only stopped his affections when he remembered time was now of the essence.

“Right then, what I need from you. I only have enough power left to make this world suit his tastes. I won’t be able to conjure up any interesting characters to help with the hard sell.” Other Tony explained, grinning crookedly back at Peter. “That’ll be up to just you and I.”

“But I can’t shape shift. I’m just me some random kid they’ve never met.”

“He’s not picky, a simple child with simple tastes I’ve been told. He just wants a dad to coddle him and an older brother to look up to. These forms will serve us well enough.” The man reasoned, humming contently as he felt all the pieces falling in place. Still Peter had one last question.

“...When is he coming?”

Other Tony paused. Freezing in place as he seemed to be asking himself the same question. Finally, he landed on an answer after he looked toward the rats once more.

“Tonight.”

Peter nodded silently in response, pulling away from Other Tony’s grasp to go prepare himself for whatever was to come of this night.

“And Peter,” Other Tony reached out. “No long faces tonight. I wouldn’t like it.”

A chill shot up Peter’s spine. Again, he just reminded himself that if he just did what Other Tony wanted he’d go back to being like the real Tony. He had to do this for him. For his own sanity.

“Yes, sir.”

Whatever it takes.

 

* * *

 

His name was Harley.

His father had skipped town when he was a kid and he was left to function somewhere between a busy single mother and an annoying little sister. That was the weak point. The opening that Tony had built their plan around, and it was working.

Harley asked even less questions then Peter had. Immediately taking to Other Tony’s fatherly adoration. Peter on the other hand struggled to connect at first.

“Who are you?” The little boy asked, beaming up at Peter. Already willing to welcome Peter into his life with open arms no matter the answer it seemed, but Peter just stood there with his mouth open, hands shaking.

He hadn’t realized till then that he had forgotten his last name.

It wasn’t even important. It wasn’t like he could tell the kid his real name, but it wasn’t like he could ever tell anyone else again either. He lost a part of himself and he never even noticed. He would have stayed there nearing tears if it wasn’t for Other Tony’s firm presence suddenly behind him, taking the reins.

“This is your Other brother, kid. He’s quite the science enthusiast himself just like you.”

“Really?!”

“Ye...eah. I used to be a part of a science club at school.”

He was? He was. He took a breath. At least he still remembers somethings.

“Oh? What happened?” Harley asked, picking up on the past tense attached to Peter’s statement.

“N-nothing.” Peter quickly shrugged off the question, luckily Harley didn’t press any further when Other Tony caught his attention instead.

“You know Harley, while I make us all dinner, I think Peter would love to show you his stargazing telescope.”

“He has a telescope?!”

“He does.”

“Mhm.” Peter agreed.

He did now. 

“That’d be amazing!” The kid was just glowing with excitement. Peter hated how much he saw of his old self in that kid. He was so stupidly naïve. He still was.

“Well, you two go on then, no time like the present!”

Before the two boys headed upstairs as Other Tony directed, Other Tony pinched Peter’s side for his attention— a warning. He said nothing, just smiled uncomfortably wide and Peter caught on quickly.

Peter matched the man’s smile. Hiding how painful the expression was to hold. That seemed to appease the demon enough, and Peter scurried up the stairs after Harley.

 

* * *

 

“I’m so jealous of you, Peter.”

Peter never expected to hear Harley say that. Not anyone really.

“Huh?”

“You get to stay here forever! Everything here is so perfect. I’d do anything to have what you have.”

Suddenly Peter felt a weight in his stomach, a dizziness in his head. This was real. He had been watching a kid walk into the bear trap, hoping he wouldn’t notice this whole time, but this kid was blind as a bat and didn’t have a chance from the minute he crossed over. It was painful to watch.

He needed to say something. This was the opening Other Tony would want him to take. He hesitated.

“I mean— it’s not that great here.” The boy scoffed, shrugging a shoulder casually as his fingers toyed aimlessly with the set of telescope lenses nearby.

“You’re kidding! You don’t have a mom to boss you around all day or a little sister always in your stuff. I’d kill to be you, Peter!”

Peter thought after all these years he had grown colder, ready to handle all of the horrible things in his life now. He blamed the kid. The clear look of utter admiration he gave Peter. It made him weak again.

“They love you.” Peter mumbled suddenly, Harley didn’t seem to catch it as he had his face buried in the telescope.

“Huh?” The younger boy asked casually but Peter couldn’t handle seeing the boy’s obliviousness for another moment. reaching forward to grab the boy by his shoulders.

“Your mother and sister love you! You may not see it now but if you spend another hour here you will.” Peter realized he sounded like a lunatic and judging by the boy’s confused expression he must have looked like one too.

“Wha.. Peter, I don’t understand.” Harley exclaimed, suddenly sounding as insecure as Other Tony knew him to be.

“You need to go home. Now! He’ll steal your soul and sew buttons into your eyes if you let him trick you!”

Just then the world tilted.

Everything suddenly looked just a little off, darker and duller. Peter was quick to push Harley aside from the window to look outside and he noticed there was no outside. Nothing but blackness stared back at him. There was no depth only a blank void.

Those damn rats moved quick.

“We have to go.” Peter insisted, rushing to the exit. Harley just watched him completely at a loss for words having just seen the world he had spent an hour worshiping be snatched away from him. “Now, Harley!”

Harley shook himself back together and followed closely behind Peter much like a lost puppy. Peter was just happy to see some sort of caution to the younger boy’s actions now.

The hallway was normal, everything inside the house remained intact other then the slight curl to the wallpaper, shriveling up the walls as they rushed down the stairs, but Peter couldn’t afford to let the warning signs stop him now. He was in to deep to look back now.

“Quick, get back to the door! As fast as you can! I’ll deal with him.”

“No!”

This kid seriously wanted to die.

“What do you mean no?!”

“Not without you!”

It was disturbing how the idea never crossed Peter’s mind. Could he go back with Harley?

“I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“There’s nothing left for me in that world. For crying out loud I have buttons for eyes, Harley! I’m just as much of a monster as he is!” Peter didn’t mean to sound so harsh, he was just upset being reminded how little he had left to live for.

“You’re Peter Parker!” Peter froze. That name. That was his name!

“What? How do y-?”

“I recognize you from a photo the man in the garage keeps. They all told me you went missing after a misunderstanding you two had. They all blamed him!”

Tony? His real Tony? He was still alive, but it had been years Peter had thought. Hadn’t it?

“They told me not to talk to him, they all thought he was crazy. That he did might have done something to you. But he didn’t! He talks about you like you’re his own son. You have to come back with me, he has to see you!” Harley huffed, emphasizing his point as he clung desperately to the older boy’s arm. He wouldn’t be letting go easily.

Tony missed him? He mourned for him? He cared?

Peter’s heart swelled at the possibly. His Tony was still out there, after all this shit he was still there thinking of him. That was something that made it seem worth trying.

He had to see him.

“Fine, let’s go.” Peter answered simply. He ushered the boy into the living room, pointing frantically toward the small child size door. Harley rushed over, grabbing the button shaped key from his pocket.

“So,”

Instinctively Peter put himself between the boy and the demon he knew to be on the other side of that demented voice.

“This is what you chose. Just when I thought you were becoming the most delectable fly in my web.”

In all these years Peter never saw Other Tony’s true form. He still wasn’t sure if this was it. The human skin he wore still remained but pulled taught across thin needle like bones. His arms and legs resembled more closely to that of a nightmare sized beetle rather than a human. But most notably Peter observed the cracks spreading across his sharp features reaching even his button eyes. It seemed the cracks ran deep.

Be brave, Peter.

“He’s just a kid. He doesn’t belong here, he doesn’t deserve what happened to me. I won’t let you hurt him.” Other Tony just scoffed, his tall frame hunched over as he sat on the far side the room on the velvet sofa. Light barely reached him there, he operated best in the shadows.

“Let’s not pretend like you suddenly became so heroic for this child’s sake. You couldn’t care less about him. If anything, you’d love to see someone else’s life be ruined by me. To watch someone fall even harder then you did.”

“I- That’s not true.”

“We’ll see.” Other Tony smiled. Teeth now sharp and serrated, his silver tongue unnaturally red against his colorless spider-like body. “We’ll see.”

“Peter, duck!”

Peter barely had time to process Harley had already gone back through the door, only now returning with something in hand before he dodged out of the way. The something that Harley brought back just propelled a powerful blast in Other Tony’s direction. Peter could hear it take the breath out of the demon’s chest from across the room.

“What the hell was that?!” Peter shouted at the boy, afraid for himself now too.

“Potato launcher! Don’t make me explain, just come on!” Harley hollered back, gesturing with his whole arm for his friend to follow. Peter scrambled to crawl back through the small door. Harley fumbled with the key but managed to lock the door behind them. Then the banging came. The door radiating a sickening green hue with each deafening thud.

“Follow me!” Harley shouted over the booming impacts. Peter listened to the younger boy’s instructions without question.

He was free.

After all this time Peter was going home. He wondered what had changed, what would welcome him in the other side. Butterflies swarmed in his stomach as he wondered what became of his real Tony. Every emotion seemed to be going through his head drowning out the thundering blows on the door behind him, but they couldn’t shut out Other Tony demonic screams.

“YOU’LL BE BACK. YOU CAN’T LEAVE ME.” Peter just did his best to ignore it. They were just the desperate last attempts of a monster trying to live. He wouldn’t fall for it. Peter had stopped listening. All his thoughts were on his real Tony. Nothing else mattered.

“YOU’LL DIE WITHOUT ME!”

Nothing else mattered.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One chapter to go! What do you guys think about this AU so far?


End file.
